Growing up playing sports, and still an avid sports fan, Grit was ingrained in everything we did on the court, track or field. I don't remember it being a "thing" in the classroom, though. We hear that sports prepares kids for life, etc, but as Dr. Angela Duckworth (2013) said, " We need to be gritty about getting our kids grittier."
If growth mindset had a spectrum, grit would be at an extreme. Growth mindset is about grace and effort, and putting yourself in situations that may feel risky, but knowing you'll learn from the event. Grit implies a more active approach; a deeper, more intentional act of putting in the work. Grit feels more like a Learner's Mindset where you have to actively search out the learning and activity that will help you grow, and then get to work.
As others have pointed out, growth mindset isn't a lesson to be taught or a 1-time objective in the lesson plan. It's a personality that is cultivated in a classroom or organization. It's constant modeling by the adult in the room. It's seizing the opportunity to point it out in others when we see them putting in the extra work, going out on a limb, introducing a new idea, or sticking their neck out for an project, partner, student, etc.
A Fixed Mindset comes from a one-and-done approach to education. You get one shot to make the grade or pass the test. With stakes so high, cookie-cutter teaching, and performance anxiety at play, some students (and families) will risk getting caught cheating to not look bad. Well-meaning, or fixed mindset, parents have completed reports and science fair projects for students. What a terrible message this sends to 1). not believe their student would/could do good work and 2.) deprive their child of learning opportunities!
Simone Biles had to overcome adversity while in the Olympic spotlight. Serena Williams didn't win every match. Michael Jordan wasn't always the GOAT. Their Grit and Learner's Mindset has taken them, and kept them, at the top of the list in their respective sports and in life.
TED. (2013, May 9). Grit: the power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8
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